Columbus (40-30-4) dropped its second game in a row in Alberta, losing a 4-1 decision to Edmonton (33-34-7) on Thursday night at Rogers Place.
Game in a Paragraph
After a slow start that featured just six total shots on goal for the two teams in the first period, Columbus took the lead in the second period only to see the Oilers tie it shortly thereafter. Edmonton then scored three goals in the third period to sweep the season series from Columbus. The loss moved the Jackets to one point out of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference with eight games to play.
FINAL: Oilers 4, Blue Jackets 1
Savard scores but Columbus loses second in a row
Quote of the Game
Defenseman David Savard: "It's a tough one. We need to come out flying in Vancouver. It's a really tough loss for us. It's unacceptable to come out that way. We have to be hungry."
CBJ Notables
Quick Recap
Korpisalo got the start for the Blue Jackets and didn't have to do much in the first period, with Edmonton getting just two shots on goal. Columbus had only four itself, with the best chance of the period when Cam Atkinson fed Pierre-Luc Dubois alone in front near the midway point, but Edmonton goalie Mikko Koskinen was able to get the glove up and make the stop on Dubois' backhander.
So it was 0-0 after one, but things picked up in the second. The Oilers had some good chances in the opening minutes, including a 2-on-1 shot wide by Kyle Brodziak and a big glove save by Korpisalo on Darnell Nurse after he was set up by Connor McDavid. Columbus also had an odd-man rush early in the frame but Koskinen made the stop on Matt Duchene. To the dismay of Blue Jackets fans, Seth Jones also hit the crossbar as the second neared its midpoint off a feed from Artemi Panarin.
But Columbus finally got on the board and broke the ice with Savard's goal at 11:35 of the period. Ryan Dzingel left the puck along the right wall for Nutivaara, who saw Savard cutting to the net and put it on his tape for a redirect past Koskinen that made it 1-0.
Edmonton tied the score just 1:42 later to make it a 1-1 game. In the midst of a battle along the left wing boards, Joseph Gambardella made a slick backhand feed to Brodziak, who quickly fired a snap shot below Korpisalo's glove from the circle.
Edmonton wasted little time scoring in the third, as Zack Kassian's goal on the first shift made it 2-1 Oilers. Columbus was caught on a counterattack, as the Oilers got a 2-on-1 and McDavid fed Kassian right to left for the slam dunk past Korpisalo at 45 seconds of the period.
"We got a shot blocked right away on a rush, they go down and score," head coach John Tortorella said. "And we really have no answer offensively at all."
The Oilers then made it 3-1 with 5:58 left as McDavid scored his 37th of the year. Seth Jones fell down at the blue line and Leon Draisaitl played McDavid in alone, and his shot came off the crossbar but bounced into the net off of Korpisalo on the rebound.
Edmonton iced it with 3:45 to go as the team had a 3-on-1 on the power play and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins beat Korpisalo from in close.
By the Numbers
There were zero penalties in the first 54 minutes of the contest. It nearly became the second Blue Jackets game this year neither team was called for a penalty, joining Nov. 19 vs. Toronto. … Columbus is now 20-14-2 away from Nationwide Arena and 13-6-3 when tied after two periods. … The Blue Jackets have lost five straight on the road. … Dzingel now has 1-6-7 line in 13 games since being acquired by the Blue Jackets. ... Draisaitl had an 0-3-3 line and McDavid had a goal and an assist. Draisaitl had six points in two games vs. Columbus this year while McDavid had five.
Roster Report
Nutivaara, who missed Tuesday's game with illness, returned to the lineup in place of Dean Kukan, while goaltender Bobrovsky did not dress because of injury. Nick Foligno also continued to be away from the team because of a personal matter. Scratches were Kukan, Bobrovsky, Foligno, Markus Hannikainen and Lukas Sedlak, who was replaced in the lineup by Eric Robinson.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets finish their tour of Western Canada on Sunday with a 10 p.m. ET game vs. Vancouver.
